Opel to target segment above with new Meriva

Opel in Ireland is to target the Ford Focus C-MAX and Renault's 5-seat Scenic with its new generation Meriva, which comes to Ireland in July.

Although no prices have yet been agreed, it is believed that the value and powertrain range of the Meriva will make it a very viable competitor in the segment above its own.

The new Meriva is slightly larger than the current car, has a longer wheelbase, and features a number of packaging innovations including unique rear hinged doors which make access easier to the rear seats. It is also stylistically much more interesting.

Meriva is easy on the back: official

In a first for any car manufacturer, an association of doctors and therapists specializing in back health has certified the new Opel Meriva’s ergonomic system consisting of special back-friendly features, saying their design is gentle on the back – for drivers and passengers alike.



The new Meriva arrives in Ireland in July and in addition to targeting the nameplate's traditional competitors like Nissan's Note and Ford's Fusion, it will straddle the small and compact divide providing new competition to Ford's C-MAX and Renault's Scenic.

When the new Opel Meriva is fitted with three particularly back-friendly features, the German Aktion Gesunder Rücken association (AGR – Action for Healthy Back) gives its much coveted seal of approval. The three major features are the Meriva’s FlexSpace rear seating system, the FlexDoors, and the ergonomic sports seats.

The FlexFix bicycle carrier is an optional feature that is also particularly ergonomic because owners do not have to strain their backs to affix their bicycles onto the car.

Haste less, stress less

So time is a bit tighter to that next appointment and you decide to hustle a bit, accelerating more, getting to that corner quicker and rushing the car out of it.

Do you get there any more quickly? Probably not. But you arrive more stressed, you've put stress on your car and its tyres, and maybe on fellow road users.

A recent event with Continental Tyres at the UK's MIRA automotive proving ground had as a component a session on 'Eco' driving. On a mile-and-a-half circuit that included hairpins, slaloms and a couple of tricky wind-up bends we were encouraged to push on, and then to repeat the process using a more careful manner of driving.

This meant basically that we accelerated with less punch, looked ahead at the road and planned more gradual entry and exits from the bends, and generally let the car do the driving.

Less stress all around. My performance first time turned in just 24.3mpg and a lap speed of 38mph. Second time out I achieved 41.5mpg and got around at 34mph. Big difference in fuel consumption and a fairly marginal difference in speed which would probably have been completely matched up over a longer journey.

Moral? Don't rush as much as you think you need. You'll get there just as quickly, save a significant tank of fuel, and possibly add a few years to the other end of your life.

Thanks for the reminder, Conti.

New Mazda2 option

Mazda Ireland has announced the launch of the Mazda2 Sensu.

The special edition model offers prospective customers over €3,000 of extra equipment for only €800 above the entry level Comfort model.

Specification upgrades includes air conditioning, 15” alloy wheels, steering wheel controls, extra roof and side airbags, and electric folding heated door mirrors and many more features.

The Mazdea2 Sensu is available from €11,895 with scrappage.

ESC or not ESC? No contest

Electronic Stability Control, often known as ESP, is not yet a standard safety system on most cars, although it will be required by EU law in the coming years.

But if you want an example of why it should be mandatory, and should not be subject to such inhibiting local factors like VRT and VAT, a recent 'Which?' test is a very graphic illustration.

Latest biofuel idea bypasses agriculture

As fossil fuel prices creep inexorably upwards, and the US military is saying we're really getting close to peak oil production, we continue to bring up updates on the alternatives.

This latest idea on biofuels bypasses agriculture and harnesses the energy of the sun directly to making fuel. From Technology Review.

Summer MX-5 offer

Mazda in Ireland had come up with a special summer offer on its iconic MX-5 sports car.

Between now and the end of July, the car can be bought for €23,495 plus dealer charges.

In Ireland the car is powered by a 1.8 petrol engine outputting 126hp.

Listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s best selling 2-seat sports car, nearly a million copies have been sold. It is now celebrating its 20th Anniversary.

Nissan on electric cars

Electric vehicles are all the buzz now. Here's Nissan's take.

Ferrari sets Nurburgring record

A special version of the Ferrari 599 has set a new record on the Nurburgring race track.

The 599XX became the first production-derived sports car to break seven minutes on the 20.832 km Nordschleife circuit, lapping in 6 min 58.16 sec.

Revised Touran revealed

Volkswagen has released the first official pictures of its revised Touran.

The compact MPV will go on sale in Ireland in the autumn.U

Unveiled at the Leipzig Motor Show, the car has a new grille features, revised tail-lights and a new tailgate and bumper. Completing the revisions are a set of new alloy wheels and chrome-edged rubbing strips running down the side of the vehicle. It is fitted with seven seats as standard.

Engines are two diesel units, a 1.6 105bhp and a 2.0 TDI 140bhp. A Bluemotion version will offer fuel consumption of 4.6 l/100 km, emitting 121 g/km CO2.

Next DS interior shown

This is the first picture of the interior of the car which will come from the DS High Rider concept showcased at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.

The production car will be the second in a trio of Citroens in the brand's new DS premium range. The DS3, based on the company's supermini platform, went on sale in Ireland this month.

Superbike Championships at Mondello

Having achieved its biggest 'Clubman' event crowd for many years at its opening Bike race of the season, Mondello Park is looking forward to similar success with its new Mondello Superbike Championship initiative which kicks off on May 22nd & 23rd. The new series is a joint effort by Motorcycling Ireland's Short Circuit Committee and the County Kildare venue to breath new life into motorcycle racing at the circuit and will feature a new race day format among a number of changes.

The new championship will be open to all grades of rider who will compete together for overall honours as well as a 'Cup' class for which only Clubman and Novice riders will be eligible. The championship will run over seven rounds using both the National and International Mondello layouts and will carry a healthy end of season prize fund. Alongside the championship races for each class the fastest riders at each event will also be invited to race for prize money in the grand final, which will be the centrepiece of each event.

In order to make Motorcycle races at Mondello more attractive to spectators the feature events will be concentrated into the prime early afternoon slot between 14:00 and 16:00. The top classes will be Superbike, Supersport, Sidecar and Two-Stroke's, and along with the grand final these races will form the centrepiece of each event. To improve the spectating experience the featured classes will have longer races, grid interviews, podium presentations and expanded commentary, along the lines of the popular 'Mondello Masters' events.

Mondello Park is keen to get the new series off to a strong start and has introduced a number of special offers to entice bike race fans to check out their new style events. Standard admission is €15 but a special offer concession ticket worth €5:00 is available on the Mondello Park Website. In addition, Motorcyclists with a Pillion Passenger will be admitted for a total of €20 and there is also a special price for a car and up to four occupants for the price of €20.

At each event a particular manufacturer will be targeted with anyone arriving on a bike from that manufacturer being entered into a draw to win one of three prizes. The prize winners will be drawn on the podium after the awards presentation for the Grand Final. For the first event Honda will be the manufacturer and first prize will be a track day voucher, second a half day track day voucher and third prize will be tickets to the 'Mondello Masters' in October.

May 23rd at Mondello Park will be the first of four feature Motorcycle event for 2010 and it is hoped that the new format will prove popular with competitors and spectators alike. Anyone wishing to keep up to date with news of the Mondello Superbike Championship can do so through the Mondello Park web site or by subscribing to the circuits free email and text alert service.

Fergus Brennan.

New Alhambra revealed

SEAT has unveiled the first official images of its new generation Alhambra, the latest generation of the Spanish car maker’s people carrier.

It will offer up to seven seats and will have a range of VW powertrains from that brand's TDI and TSI engine sets.

The Alhambra is longer than its predecessor, which was based on the old model VW Sharan.

Homeward bound with Irish Ferries

A nice piece by my friend and motoring journalist colleague Eddie Cunningham of the Irish Independent about people making their ways home via Irish Ferries' Oscar Wilde from Cherbourg.

I'll be on the same ship tomorrow night. Probably many similar stories. But Eddie got there first.

Intriguing hotel design in rioja land

If you're thinking about exploring the Rioja region in northern Spain, at the very least stop by for a look at the Hotel Marques de Riscal in Elciego.

Designed by the architect Frank O Gehry, it has quite an amazing set of details. It is also located in the middle of the winery with the same name. Tours of the winery are on offer all the time, and provide a good primer on winemaking for those without previous knowledge of the very intricate business.

The hotel includes a Library at the top with views of the quite beautiful area around it. They tell a story at the hotel that the architect was reluctant to take the commission and only agreed after they had taken him down to the cellars, and opened a couple of bottles of wine dating back to his birth year of 1929.

Frank O Gehry's previous work in Spain was the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

About volcanoes

If you want clear and unambiguous information about volcanoes, Volcano Live is a good source.

Not alone does it report the current situation in Iceland but it has lists and details of other currently 'live' volcanoes in different parts of the world.

Hilux to the heart of the volcano

Talk about product placement! Toyota is making much of the use of its Hilux pickups being used by scientists to place monitoring sets at the Eyjafallajökull volcano, just hours before its eruption brought chaos to the skies of Europe.

The vehicles used for the expedition were prepared by specialist firm Arctic Trucks to the same extreme environment specification as the Hilux used by Jeremy Clarkson and James May for their historic polar expedition. They were shod with giant low pressure 38-inch tyres.

Does this mean that Toyota will now produce a special limited edition for buyers named Hilux Eyjafallajökull?

It might be a bit hard on the salesmen's pronunciation capabilities.

New grade Forester added

Subaru Ireland now has a new 2.0TD E version of its Forester at a retail price of €34,995.

The car represents a €1,000 saving on the X version and has smaller 16" wheels, no roof rails, a lezz sophisticated radio and lacks steering wheel audi controls.

The 2.0 diesel engine is common across the range of three Forester models and has a CO2 rating of 167g/km.

A manual 6-speed transmission is standard.

New engines for Q7

Audi is making radical engine changes to its Q7 SUV from this summer.

A pair of supercharged 3.0 petrol engines will replace the naturally aspirated 3.6 and 4.2 units, improving economy by 12/16 percent. And a new 3.0 diesel improves economy by a fifth, offering 240hp and CO2 emissions of 195g/km.

A new 8-speed automatic transmission also helps with economy, replacing the 6-speed Tiptronic.

No Irish prices have yet been released for the upgraded car, which goes on sale in Britain in June.

TT targeted by Peugeot in summer

Peugeot's new RCZ sports coupe goes on sale in Ireland in the summer targeted at the Audi TT and the VW Scirocco.

There will be two engine options initially, a 2.0 diesel and a 1.6 turbocharged petrol with 153hp. A 200hp version of the 1.6 will be available later.

Prices haven't been finalised yet, but something in the region of €35,000 seems likely.

The car comes with a distinctive 'double bubble' wrapover rear screen and a pop-up bonnet to help diminish injury to pedestrians in an impact.

Peugeot dealers are taking orders and deposits now for the car, which Peugeot in Europe expect to sell 17,000 of in 2011. Irish sales of the 'halo' car will be in the region of 150 next year.

LR Defender for Goffs vendor

One lucky Goffs vendor will win a Land Rover Defender at Punchestown this Tuesday.

The vendor of the horse that wins the Goffs Land Rover Bumper will become the outright owner of one of the iconic vehicles. The €100,000 race is exclusively for horses sold at the 2009 Goffs Land Rover Sale.

Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander and Champion Chase star Big Zeb head an impressive list of graduates of the Land Rover Sale, while past winners of the Bumper include Glencove Marina, Quiscover Fontaine, Newmill, Hardy Eustace etc.

Last year’s race was won by the Jessica Harrington-trained and Kate Harrington-ridden Imperial Cascade.

ESB will install home EV chargers

As part of its electric vehicle strategy, the ESB will install suitable home charging points in the homes of everybody who buys an electric vehicle.

This will eliminate the problem of owners having to trail leads through windows for overnight charging, which poses security as well as safety risks.

And ESB chief executive Padraig McManus also expects that the first 250 on-street fast charging points will be installed by the end of this year, well in time for the arrival of the first global carmaker's family-sized electric car on the market here, Nissan's Leaf.

The ESB boss said his organisation's infrastructural rollout is on schedule, including the provision of fast-charging points every 60km on Ireland's main road routes. But he said as EVs come to market here, he expects that the vast bulk of charging will be done overnight in owners' homes.

He also said that until service areas are built on the motorway network, the inter-city charging points will likely be off the motorways, in strategic villages and towns.

He was speaking yesterday after the signing of an agreement between the ESB, the Government, and Renault-Nissan on the promotion of EVs in Ireland.

The Government is offering €5,000 as an inducement for the purchase of electric vehicles, as well as exempting them from VRT.

Citroen offers Paris trips draw

During April and May, Citroën Motors Ireland will be offering the chance for customers to win one of five weekend breaks for two in Citroën’s home city of Paris.

This prize is available to all customers who visit their local Citroën dealer up to 31  May 2010 and complete a competition entry form. Entry can also be made by visiting the DS3 National Launch Week micro site (www.citroenopenweek.ie).

The price includes flights and two nights 5-star accommodation as well as dinner for two at one of Paris’s brasseries.

Also, from 1 April to 30 June Citroën Motors Ireland will be offering Special Trade-in bonuses across their passenger range. These special offers will be available to all customers who trade in their old vehicle and purchase a new Citroën during this period. Customers wishing to avail of the Government Scrappage rebate will also qualify for Citroën’s Special Trade-in bonuses.

€5,000 incentive for EVs

The Irish Government is to provide a €5,000 incentive to buyers of electric cars, as well as exempting EVs from VRT.

The announcement was made at the final signing of an agreement between the Government, the ESB and Renault-Nissan to move forward the provision of an infrastructure and actual electric cars in Ireland.

The Government's target is to have 10 percent of Ireland's vehicles electrically powered by 2020.

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan signed the agreement today on behalf of the Government. He said Irish motorists who bought EVs would be 'doing the right thing'.

Padraic McManus, CE of the ESB, said the agreement was another important milestone on the road to developing an emissions free transport system and he reiterated his organisation's commitment to doing its part.

Two electric cars from Renault and Nissan were on display at the event in the Royal Hospital complex in Kilmainham, Dublin.

Nissan's Leaf compact hatchback will be going on sale in Ireland in the very early part of next year, according to Pierre Loing, vice president of product strategy and planning at Nissan.

The Renault Fluence EV will be on sale in Ireland some time in 2012, though a number of units will be available towards the end of 2011 for pilot trials.

No prices were announced today, but Pierre Loin promised that the cars would be 'of similar' cost to ordinary cars of an equivalent size.

There remained some confusion, though, as to how the pricing would be arrived at. It was revealed that one model under consideration would sell the car but lease the battery, perhaps combined with electricity on a fixed-distance basis. On such a system, Renault-Nissan says the cars would be 'competitive to a diesel' car.

The manufacturers present promised also that the cars would have safety standards up to the same levels as equivalent petrol/diesel cars.

There was a suggestion that battery technology improvements would significantly improve the range of EVs in the medium future. But the carmakers say that the 100m/160km range of current cars is more than adequate for most daily use.

Peugeot continues scrappage scheme

Peugeot in Ireland has announced the continuation of the Peugeot Scrappage Scheme offering up to €5,000 off its range of low CO2 models.

Customers can now avail of €3,750 off a new Peugeot 107, €4,000 off new Peugeot 207 and 308 models and €5,000 off a new Peugeot 407 Executive model. Peugeot are also now offering €4,000 scrappage off the new Peugeot 3008, winner of the Continental Irish Car of the Year 2010 award. The Peugeot Scrappage Scheme will run to the 31st May 2010.

Customers who do not qualify for the scrappage allowance will receive a €500 Eco bonus on any 207, 308 or 3008 model, registered before the end of May.

Phone use in US 'causes a fifth of accidents'

A special report by the US-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety suggests that up to 22 percent of all accidents there could be attributed to the use of a phone while driving.

Overall, 40 percent of drivers in the survey said they had used their phones at least a few times while driving in the previous week, and one in five talk on the phone while driving every day.

Some 13 percent of drivers admitted to texting while driving.

The report is comprehensive, and can be accessed here.

Land Rover sales grow again

The premium SUV segment seems to be kicking back after being pummelled to the ropes early on in the recession.

On a global level, sales were up 43 percent in March compared to the same month in the previous year. It was the sixth consecutive month of improvement for the brand, which is owned by the India-based Tata Motors Group.

In Ireland, sales of Land Rovers for the first three months of the year were the same as for all of 2009, with 40 percent of them being the Freelander 2.

Fastest Ferrari for Beijing

This is the Ferrari 599 GTO, the fastest-ever Ferrari, which will debut at the Beijing Motor Show.

With 670hp pounding out of its 6.0 V12, the car is capable of a 3.4 seconds sprint to 100km/h.

The significance of the name lies in the fact that only 599 copies will be sold to customers.